


Only Human

by leukocytosis



Series: A Most Traitorous Affliction (Omen/Cypher) [6]
Category: VALORANT (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Polyamory, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24749758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leukocytosis/pseuds/leukocytosis
Summary: Nothing in this world is guaranteed; they're only human, after all.Or how everyone copes with emotion differently.
Relationships: Cypher/Nora (VALORANT), Cypher/Nora/Sova (VALORANT), Cypher/Omen (VALORANT)
Series: A Most Traitorous Affliction (Omen/Cypher) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723438
Comments: 13
Kudos: 52





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to update this at least once per week. 
> 
> Any smut will be written in its own chapter so you can avoid it if you prefer.

“Congratulations on a mission well done,” Breach cheered as he greeted Omen and Cypher as the shuttle dropped them back at base. He clapped them both on the shoulder as they passed him into the yard. “Drinks are on me tonight, boys!”

“Noted,” Omen nodded, slinking off towards the kitchen. He mixed himself a stiff drink of pineapple juice and melon liqueur, topping it off with a nice, hard pour of absinthe. Standing against the counter, he drank in silence, watching. He nodded to anyone who stopped by to congratulate him on his relatively safe return.

Cypher, meanwhile, took off to the workshop. His cameras needed work after that mission. They were scuffed up and a few had bullet holes. Luckily, supplies at base are stockpiled just for his cameras. He worked for a few hours, thankfully managing to salvage most of them. Eventually, he joined everyone else in the common area, having completed his work. As Cypher entered the common room, Sova handed him a dark purple, swirling drink. 

“It’s delicious. I promise you’ll love it, Cypher!” Sova drunkenly stumbled over his words and his feet as he spoke, nearly spilling the drink on Cypher. 

“Thank you,” Cypher smiled at the archer, taking the drink offered to him. He walked to Omen’s side, who was perched with a dusty-looking black book, and sat next to him. Suspiciously, he tasted the purple liquid. It was delicate albeit bitter. He still wasn’t sure what it was, but he leaned against Omen, eyeing the book with curiosity.

“It’s about ravens with knives who test drugs on people,” Omen summarized, eyes fixed on the book. He took a deep drink of his sixth glass that night with a small sigh.

“That sounds-” 

“Like a bore,” Phoenix finished. The pair looked up to see the man standing smugly, arms crossed, before them. 

“Do you mind?” Omen glared through his hood at Phoenix, who immediately backed up, feeling a chill. 

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it, man. You’ve just been off in your own world all night and the rest of us are trying to party. You’re really bringing us down,” Phoenix explained, speaking quite quickly and clearly, considering his level of intoxication.

“Cypher and I were the ones who actually took part in the mission, remember? This celebration is for us. We secured a new supply of materials so the organization can perform further research. Let me celebrate however I please,” Omen argued, finishing his drink.

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave,” Phoenix surrendered, backing up with his hands up.

“As I was saying, that sounds like something I’d probably enjoy. Mind lending it to me when you’re done?” Cypher asked.

“Absolutely. I’m going to head to my room now, though. Alcohol’s finally getting to me and, well.. Come find me if you want to discuss the book more,” Omen slurred. He stood to leave and immediately fell back onto Cypher, more intoxicated than he’d anticipated.

“Here, let me walk you,” Cypher said this less as a request and more as a command as he pushed Omen off himself gently and stood up.

“I’m fine,” Omen insisted, as he stood up again, tried to walk, and failed again, collapsing on the floor.

Cypher reached a hand out to Omen and helped him up.

The pair walked together, Cypher’s arm around Omen’s shoulders, until they reached Omen’s room. Omen fumbled with the keys before finally opening the door. The pair walked in and Cypher helped Omen onto his bed. 

“Can you stay a little? You’re my favourite person and your voice is just so nice,” Omen slurred slightly. “I want you to read to me. I’ve read it hundreds of times, I’m sure, but I want to share it with you.”

Cypher took a seat at the end of Omen’s bed, all of his focus on the other man. He grabbed the book Omen handed to him. Omen relaxed back and draped his legs over Cypher, listening to his friend’s calming tones.

“Hey, Cyph?” 

“Yeah?” Cypher turned his attention from the book to the man before him.

“I’m… gay. I might also be polyamorous, but I’d probably need someone to talk that over with but we don’t have a lot of options here on base. I can’t trust Sage with this. She’s too traditional.”

“I appreciate you telling me, but I think you’re going to regret saying it so suddenly. Let’s talk about this tomorrow, because you don’t tell anyone anything. Ever. Not even me,” Cypher reminded him. 

“I don’t think I would regret telling you anything, Cyph.” Omen snuck a short glance at his best friend, his heart tightening. “You’re important to me and I trust you with my life. It’s how we work so well on missions,” Omen was rambling at this point, but Cypher didn’t really seem to care. “You, well... everything about you is just so trustworthy. You’re my best friend. And it’s a bit unsettling how you can see under my hood, but since you’ve seen that and haven’t told everyone what I look like or left, you’ve kind of proven yourself.”

A shrill ring broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them. Cypher reached for his phone and saw it was his wife calling.

“Omen, I’m sorry, but I have to leave. Wife’s on the line and I  _ may _ have forgotten to call her when we got back, so I wouldn’t want to worry her. I’m sure you understand. Rest up, all right?” Cypher turned and left the room with a wave. 

“ _ I can’t believe I fucking said that _ ,” Omen thought, pulling off his hood and burying himself further in his bed.  _ “What a fool I am. _ ”

Meanwhile, Cypher headed to his room, all the while filling his wife in on anything he was allowed to tell about the last mission. He locked the door behind him, set his phone on speaker and placed it down. He then set about removing his mask. 

“Did you ask Sova about Wednesday, sweetheart? You know I’ve been in need of some  _ attention _ ,” the woman’s voice came through quite clearly. 

“He’s agreed to join us, dear. We discussed everything you asked me to! I hope you’re as excited as I am,” Cypher smiled, switching to video mode.

“I can’t wait to see the two of you. I’ll have you both call me together tomorrow, if that’s okay? There were a couple other things I wanted to talk about now that we have the crucial information out of the way,’ she replied, her smile as bright as the sun. 

The two spoke for another hour about everything and nothing. They exchanged their goodbyes quickly as Cypher realized he had to be up five hours later.

_ “I’m happy Omen was able to confide in me. I just wish he hadn’t been drinking in order to do so,”  _ he thought to himself as he stripped his clothes off. He threw himself onto his bed and quickly fell asleep, Omen’s words echoing in his head.

_ “I hope he knows how much he means to me, too,”  _ Cypher thought to himself. “ _ I just don’t want him to split on me like he seems to with everyone else.” _

His night was marked with unprecedented dreams about Omen, his traitorous heart dictating them, leaving him feeling hollow when he awoke. He knew he needed to speak with the man about some things, but there was so much he would have to leave unsaid. His wife would never be okay with Omen - not with everything he knew about the man’s history, even if she wasn’t involved. In record time, Cypher found himself dressed and ready to face the day. He tried desperately to ignore the thoughts the dreams had planted; however, his body had other plans, and soon enough he found himself knocking on Omen’s door.

Omen was pulled from his turbulent thoughts fairly early the following morning. Groaning, he pulled himself up from his bed and looked through the peephole to see who dared to bother him in his current mindset. He was barely able to hold his physical form together, let alone his mental state. It was Cypher, great. He probably wanted to discuss last night. Not bothering to put on his hood, he opened the door and pulled the other man inside.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Omen asked, with much distaste. 

“You know we need to talk about what happened last night,” Cypher answered flatly.

“Alternatively, we could never discuss the topic again and you could forget it ever happened,” Omen spat, arms folded as he looked away from Cypher.

“I won’t forget it, but I won’t tell anyone. You know you can trust me,” Cypher assured him, placing a hand on Omen’s shoulder. “I’ve always got your back.”

Omen grabbed Cypher’s hand, removing it from him. “And I’ve yours as well, but I should have never said it. Because it doesn’t matter. My being gay does not matter. Because I have a role to play in this organization that will  _ never  _ involve romance. I can’t afford to get attached beyond the level of friendship you and I share.”

“You matter. Every aspect of you does, Omen.”

Omen grunted, internally rolling his eyes. A quiet  _ ding _ broke through the sudden silence and Cypher checked his phone.

“Hey, I know we were going to make plans for tomorrow night to go into the city, but something’s come up.”

“Okay, and do you plan to tell me why?” Omen asked, growing frustrated.

“I don’t really know how to tell you this.”

“Just spit it out. You know my secrets, after all.”

“My wife and I,” Cypher started, “we have a date.”

“What, you’re polyamorous?” Omen’s interest seemed piqued.

“Yeah, we are.”

Omen felt a pang of something he didn’t care to comprehend upon hearing this that he couldn’t ignore.

“Do you only date as a couple? And is it with someone I know?” Omen asked, trying not to sound too interested, feeling a bitter rage bite at him.

“Usually, yes. And yeah, we’re going to try things with Sova. It was her idea,” Cypher admitted. “She’s had a thing for him since the first staff event I brought her to.”   
  


_ “Of course it’s Sova. He’s a pretty boy, after all.” _

“Didn’t realize you were into guys,” Omen commented, watching Cypher’s body language closely.

“Usually I’m not. There’s been a couple exceptions over the years, though.” Cypher looked down, rubbing the back of his head in an almost embarrassed manner.

“You let me worry all night that maybe you didn’t accept me and had me thinking that was why you left so quickly and  _ now  _ you tell me you’re hardly any different from me?” Omen growled. “You really didn’t think to mention ‘oh hey, I like guys too sometimes’ when I was trying to think of how to make you stop hating me for who I am?”

“Omen, stop. I owed you nothing but my silence last night,” Cypher bit back. 

“You owed me nothing, yes, but  _ anything _ would have been nice. I know Sage told everyone about my  _ ‘condition _ ’,” Omen said, trying desperately to calm himself, “I just thought you were leaving, too.”   
  


_ “Remember what you learned in therapy. Your anger is trying to protect you, but you’re not being attacked. You’re not being abandoned,” _ Omen reminded himself, taking a deep, slow breath.

“I’m not trying to upset you. You volunteered information to me. I didn’t ask for it. We’re going to stop this conversation for now. Please collect yourself, Omen. I don’t want to lose the best friend I have besides my wife.”

Omen seemed to shine a little brighter, happy that their closeness was acknowledged. He reached for his hood and began putting it on. “Let’s go for breakfast. Not that I need it, but you do. There’s a huge day of training ahead of us. You need to keep your strength up.”


	2. Traitorous Thoughts; Traitorous Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cypher has a date! Omen? Jealous? Never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping to work on another chapter this weekend. I have stories that need telling.
> 
> Do I really need summaries? I'm afraid of spoiling something. 
> 
> If you ever wanna discuss this ship (or any of my others), feel free to follow me @TheMetari on Twitter.
> 
> C:

Omen seemed to shine a little brighter, happy that their closeness was acknowledged. He reached for his hood and began putting it on. “Let’s go for breakfast. Not that I need it, but you do. There’s a huge day of training ahead of us. You need to keep your strength up.”

The day passed by quietly and without incident. Training went as usual; Omen and Cypher sparred together. Omen occasionally lost control of his form  due to  Cypher’s body heat against him. Thankfully  for Omen,  no one noticed.

The team relaxed with a cheesy action movie: the kind  Omen would never admit he enjoyed . Though , he was almost certain he enjoyed it that much more  with  Cypher’s body squished against his to  fit more people on the couch.  Everyone was having a good time ,  and almost nothing could sour Omen’s mood.

Evening was falling and the hour Omen had been secretly dreading arrived all too soon. It was his turn to make the team dinner. He ultimately thought it was unfair as he didn’t _need_ to eat, but complied anyhow as his meals were always spoken highly of. He lived on that praise.

Sage, as always, helped him by meticulously chopping vegetables while he prepared the rest of the meal. He continually found himself zoning out, unable to focus on the task at hand as his thoughts were flooded with visions of a certain spy. He forced himself to pay attention to Sage’s idle small talk, murmuring himself every now and then as he finished cooking. An enticing smell drifted out of the kitchen and the team quickly gathered together around the table, less Sova and Cypher. Sage, the saint she was, brought the food out to everyone while Omen cleaned up the mess.

“Omen, " Brimstone shouted, mouth full of food, " your pepper steak, as always, is incomparable . ” Everyone murmured in agreement, scarfing down their food  as though they haven't eaten in weeks.   
  
“We are headed to the city now,” Sova shouted to everyone in the dining room as he dragged Cypher by the hand, waving to everyone with the other.

“We’ll be back late  tomorrow  morning,” Cypher assured the others .  “ There will be plenty of time to prepare for the next set of missions when we’re back.”  Sova visibly  squeezed Cypher's hand and led him to exit the dining area. Cypher felt a chill run down his spine and looked back to see Omen glaring daggers at his and Sova’s joined hands .  He quickly retracted his hand as though the contact had burned him.

“Be safe, you two!” Sage yelled after them. “I don’t want to have to tend to any wounds you sustain in the city,” she muttered under her breath as she got up from her seat to gather everyone’s soiled dishes. 

A few hours passed and Omen could easily be found sat on the seat under the window that no one else dared to sit, book in hand, intending to finish quickly so he could lend it to Cypher. He watched the rain spatter against the window panes  for a moment  before  finally  opening the book, the weather mirroring his thoughts. 

He sat in silence for what felt like hours, making next to no progress through the book. “ _ Why do you care, anyway? No one gets this annoyed over cancelled plans _ _... _ _ ”  _ he thought to himself. “ _ And you shouldn’t be upset by someone you called your  _ best friend _ holding hands with someone else.” _

“Omen," Breach started abruptly, water in hand, "what are you doing?”

“Reading.” Omen’s eyes never left the page.

“You’re lying, Breach countered, almost exasperated. “You’ve been staring a hole through that book! You haven’t so much as moved a finger in the past thirty minutes. What’s eating you?”

“Nothing,” Omen stated flatly,  taking his eyes off the book to face Breach, reaching out to accept the water bottle. “It’s really none of your concern.”

“We have a saying in Sweden, you know. ‘ _ Det ligger en hund begraven här,’ _ which translates to ‘ _ there’s a dog buried here.’” _

“Spare me the lecture.”

“It means you’re hiding something, Omen. The longer you hide it, the more it’ll poison you. We need you to be able to focus. You’re part of something bigger. We’re all counting on you. Please , don’t let us down . ” Breach told him, patting Omen’s shoulder, “ A misstep could kill an ally , or worse - yourself.”

“What’s another death? It can’t get any worse than this nightmare I’m living.”

“You’re actually hopeless,” Breach sighed, shaking his head. “If you won’t talk to me, talk to Sage. She’s here for that. Or talk to Cypher. You’re friends, right?”

Omen closed his book sharply. “Whatever is going on with me has nothing to do with you. It will not affect the team. It will not cloud my judgement. It will not get anyone killed on a mission," he scoffed, rising to his full height, "unlike whatever Cypher and Sova are up to. They’re painting huge targets on their backs. Everyone else is in danger because of their selfishness. I’m going to have to watch out for both of them even more than I already fucking do." Omen stood up from his seat. " That’s an inconvenience - I’m not. Leave me be.” With his body on auto-pilot, he stalked out of the common area, drowning in his thoughts. He had to drown them out in the only way he knew how - on the practice range. 

\---

In the city, Cypher sat in a booth with Nora beside him and Sova opposite. He chuckled, eyes focused on Sova as he animatedly told a story from when he lived in Russia. Cypher reached a hand across the table to brush Sova’s as they waited for their food. Sova interlocked their fingers for the second time that day, his smile as bright as the sun. Cypher reached out for Nora’s hand as well, rubbing reassuring circles with his thumb. 

Though Sova was attractive, Cypher couldn’t see himself falling for the guy in the way Nora had. He’d always been very unintentionally picky about who he allowed himself to feel more than a surface level attraction for. Few truly piqued his interest. He supposed he should just be happy because it makes Nora happy, and let her know later he would be okay with her dating Sova without him. Maybe then, he’d be allowed to explore whomever appealed to him. 

The food arrived, snapping Cypher’s attention back to the date at hand. Cypher engaged in  some  casual flirting with Sova, but things got very heated between Sova and Nora. While he would have enjoyed not feeling like a third wheel and getting a bit more attention from both of them, he understood that Nora had been waiting a while to get this out of her system.  He wondered what it would be like to have a solo date with a new partner of his choosing.

As the night progressed, both Sova and Nora got a bit tipsy  - laughing,  flirting, touching,  and finishing up their food. 

“Perhaps we should go dancing now,” Sova suggested, as he stole a bite of the cheesecake Cypher had ordered for the trio.

“It’s been so long since we last went dancing, Nora,” Cypher mused, smiling warmly as he fed her a bite of cheesecake as well. 

“As much as I would like that,” she said, eyes darting between the two men as a small smirk began to grow on her face, “I think I’d much rather retire for the night. Maybe a dance of a different sort.”

“She’s clever, I can see why you two fit so well together, Cypher,” Sova smiled, standing and stretching, “I’d be happy to indulge you both, if you 'd like .”

“I…" Cypher thought for a moment. "I wouldn’t be opposed to trying that out. I suppose we’ll figure out the logistics when we get to the hotel,” Cypher said, dropping some money on the table and walking away, the other two close behind. 

\---

Omen set up targets immediately upon arriving at the range. He fired for hours with the wide arsenal at his disposal. He beat  personal  record after personal record, utilizing all manner of weaponry . By the end of it, he’d finally calmed down enough to return to the main complex. It was growing late, so he headed straight to his room. 

He pulled off his clothes and beelined for his shower. A nice, warm shower would do him and his incredibly turbulent thoughts some good. A shower was never necessary for him, though he enjoyed the pressure and heat the water brought. 

Omen turned the water on as hot as he could bear and stood in the stream of water. Despite his best intentions, his thoughts turned to Cypher and Sova’s interlocked hands. His heart sunk  upon  remembering that, and he tried his best to shake the memory from his mind. His traitorous thoughts took on a mind of their own, however, and visions of the spy’s hands  - and  _ only  _ his hands  - flooded Omen’s mind as he ran his own along his body. More than once, his thoughts wandered and thoughts of Cypher’s hands exploring Omen’s naked body were near constant. Painfully aroused, he growled, claws digging into his arms, desperate to stop the scenes in his head. 

_ “We’re friends. Friends don’t do that. I wouldn’t want to burden someone with that kind of attachment to me, anyway _ _... _ _ ”  _ he thought to himself.  _ “ _ _... _ _ Especially not someone as deserving of the world as Cypher.” _

With a sigh, Omen turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Drying himself off, he walked back into his room. He threw the towel to the floor and grabbed a  familiar green book from the shelf of his nightstand and a pen from the drawer. He laid on his bed, flipping to the chapter on emotional regulation.

“ _ Cypher is attractive, I’ll give myself credit for seeing that. But he’s my best friend: he’s my favourite person.” _ Omen growled at his own thoughts, angry he’d even thought of anything more. “ _ I don’t want to have a favourite person. I can’t let anyone have that kind of power over me. I can’t show that kind of weakness.” _

Omen put pen to paper, writing out his every thought on these conflicting feelings. Frustration grew with in himself as he found it difficult to name them. Infatuation? Probably. Adoration? Absolutely. Admiration? Was there ever any doubt?

  
“ _ Is this bullshit I'm feeling really any different than dating someone? It's like a one-sided… whatever this is. I can’t let my attachment affect a mission. I can’t afford to slip up. I need to accept that I’m attached to him, hopefully platonically, so I can move forward.” _


	3. Not a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey. I'm hoping to post more frequently because I do very much want to write and I adore these ships I write for.

Early the next afternoon, after Sova and Cypher had returned, Brimstone announced a new mission that Phoenix, Cypher, and Omen would be embarking on before the week was out. The mission was to intercept a shipment in Australia, and collect the new recruit, Skye, on the way. It was anticipated to be fairly easy, which was why the drop team was smaller than usual. The trio was given plenty of downtime before they were required to prepare for the mission, and were told to relax as much as possible until then. 

“I am going to play pool. Anyone care to join me?” Sova asked, looking around the common room.

“I’m game,” a voice came from the shadows, who materialized at Sova’s side, “provided we make a wager.”

“What were you thinking, friend?”

“Not your friend, but… if I win, you take my dinner shifts for the next month,” Omen said, eyeing the marksman. 

“Sova just cooks what he feels like, without anyone’s input! You can’t subject us to that,” Phoenix shouted upon hearing the bet.

“That could certainly be arranged,” Sova smiled, ignoring Phoenix’s pleas, “and if I win, I want you to go out on the town with me. Get you out of your head.”

“You both suck,” Phoenix said, pouting, while Jett patted his shoulder gently.

Sova and Omen made their way to the rec room and grabbed the pool cues from where they hung at the entrance to the room.

“I was hoping it’d be you to join me,” Sova smiled, “your very presence…. You seem agitated.”

“I’m first,” Omen said, racking the balls on the table and aiming. His focus was on the balls before him as he tried to find the best angle to kick Sova’s ass.

“You know he had no interest in me, right?” Sova said, catching Omen off guard and making him miss his shot completely.

“I don’t care to hear the details of your date, Sova,” Omen stated cooly, “what he does is none of my business.”

“I don’t think you understand, Omen.”

“As I said, I don’t care. What he does in his private life is up to him.”

“He-he called me your name. More than once,” Sova meekly said, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, “and I’ve seen the way you watch him.”

Omen was thankful for his lack of flesh, thankful no one would be able to tell how flustered he felt hearing that. Cypher? Thinking about him while fucking another? Omen bade his heart to slow.

“Don’t say that so nonchalantly in a common area. He deserves more respect than that. But… can’t imagine why he would do that,” Omen tried brushing off the comment, “not when you’re so full of life… and I’m… I’m not. Not anymore.”

“He watches you when you’re not looking, you know. He watches you the same way you watch him,” Sova said without so much a glance at Omen, taking his shot.

“Why are you so invested in this? It has nothing to do with you.”

“Neither of you are willing to do what might make you happier,” Sova explained, “and I just so happen to be a purveyor of happiness.”

“Purveyor of happiness? Who the _hell_ gave you that title?” Omen asked, incredulous.

“Cypher did, actually. He seems happy that Nora adores me, but is staunchly indifferent to my advances himself.”

“Sova, what are you getting at?” The wraith was growing irritated with the conversation and the way it made him effectively throw the game entirely. He threw down the cue in frustration.

“Tell him how you feel. I can sense you’ve both been through a lot. Maybe you can help each other,” Sova patted Omen’s shoulder gently.

“We’re just friends,” Omen grounded out between gritted teeth, “we cannot be anything more.”

“I felt your eyes like daggers at my back when I grabbed his hand. ‘Just friends’ don’t do that. Talk to him. Pining away with nothing gained will get you nowhere. You’ll just get hurt. Or worse,’ Sova sounded deadly serious for once in his life, “the worst-case scenario is your distracted mind getting you or him or literally any one of us killed on a mission. I ask you not for your own sake, but everyone else’s as well: tell him,” Sova said, hitting the last ball into the pocket, winning him the game.

“Do not breathe a word of this, Sova, or I _will_ kill you,” Omen threatened, face close to Sova’s, “You know I’ve been a jealous bastard. You’re in my head and I don’t know how, but please get out. You win. I’ll talk to him. I’ll… talk about my feelings. I…”

“You love him,” Sova stated plainly, “you love him even though every part of you believes you don’t deserve reciprocation. But you do. You're not a monster, Omen.”

“I don’t, but ….thank you, I guess,” Omen said as smoke surrounded him. Moments later, he was gone.

\---

In the shadows of his room, Cypher listened to the feed of the wires he’d had installed in the rec room himself, unbeknownst to any of his allies. 

Reaching for his phone, he dialed a number he dialed every day.

“Nora,” he said as soon as he heard her pick up the other end, “I want to discuss some things with you regarding our date.”

“Sure, anything, my love. What is it?” she said, off put by her husband’s abrupt launch into conversation without so much as a hello.

“I understand it was obvious on our date. I know you’re very much compatible with Sova. You may have been too entranced with him to notice, though, that I, however, am not. It’s fine, though. I do not mind,” he said, voice light.

“I want you to be happy too, though, Aamir. We won’t see him again.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I love you, and I am very happy to see you so happy with him. If you would like, I would not be opposed to you dating him on your own, without me,” Cypher said, almost forgetting to breathe with how much he had to say.

“In that case… you’re going to ask me if you can pursue someone else. Someone like, say, Omen?” Nora said, her tone unreadable.

“I would like to, if I could get your approval. I know you’re not fond of him, but… I find my mind… filled with thoughts of him. I feel like I did when I first fell in love with you, Nora. And every day since.”

“I want you to be happy, as I said. Aamir, please never forget that. My heart is always with you,” she said, a smile in her voice, “and I knew this was coming. I’m not sure if you noticed, but every story you told of your time at base during our date with Sova involved Omen in some way. Hell, you called his name and mine as you came.”

“And my heart is with you, my dear. Perhaps, if I am successful, the four of us could go on a group date.”

“I would like that, my love. I must go now, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I will see you again soon. I have a mission in a few days, but when we return, I’ll come to town to visit you,” Cypher sighed softly, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Nora breathed before hanging up the phone.

Cypher sat for a moment, trying to process everything. Despite the eavesdropping, he was still concerned his feelings weren’t entirely reciprocated. What if Omen had just said those things to get Sova off his back? Omen told him directly that he won’t get involved with anyone because romance isn’t in the cards for him, but what if he could feel the depth of how Cypher felt?

A knock startled Cypher from his reverie and he opened the door in time to see the shadows coalesce before him. 

“To what do I owe this surprise?” Cypher said, voice light.

“You can thank Sova,” Omen said, squeezing his way into the room, “I’ve been informed I need to confide in someone from multiple sources and despite the fact you live off information and exploiting weakness, I’ve come to you.”

“Funny, I wanted to speak with you too, actually.”

“Well, you first, then,” Omen said, sitting himself down on Cypher’s bed and patting the spot next to him.

“Nora’s dating Sova. I’m not. That’s the jist of it, at least. Though, it does leave me open for another partner. Perhaps you know someone who could fit the bill,” Cypher said, the twinkle in his eyes was evident in his voice. He sat next to Omen, both men feeling almost uncomfortable with how close they were.

“I only know like 11 people now, considering, well...” Omen gestured at himself and then everywhere else before trailing off.

The two sat in silence for a while, Omen trying to work up the nerve to admit what he wanted to say.

“Sova told me you called him by my name. Repeatedly. Is that true?” Omen said, watching the other man’s body language intently.

“Well… yes. I suppose it is. Nora told me as much, too. Even when he was deep inside me as I, well, came.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I like receiving sometimes?” Cypher said, trying to dodge the question.

“We both know that isn’t what I meant,” Omen spoke sternly, glaring from beneath his hood.

“I couldn’t get you out of my head, Omen,” Cypher admitted, “I couldn’t help myself.”

Omen felt his breath catch in his throat. 

“Excuse me, Cypher, but what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You could have Sova. You could have anyone,” Omen stood and slowly raised his voice, nearly shouting by the end of it, eternally thankful the rooms were soundproof, “you could have literally anyone else. Why me? Why would anyone want a monster?” his voice dropped to a whisper as he tried to reel in his emotions.

“You have to know it’s not that simple. The heart craves what it does, after all, and we have no input in that. You’re not a monster. I’ve seen everything, and it’s changed _nothing_.”

Omen sat back down on the bed next to Cypher. He couldn’t stop fidgeting while trying not to look at Cypher.

“How would you like to proceed, Omen? I won’t take a pace any faster than you would want,” Cypher placed a hand over Omen’s as he spoke.

“Cypher, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I know you know about my issues. I… I don’t know _what_ exactly it is I feel. I want you around. I wouldn’t be opposed to fucking, either. But I don’t have a name for what I feel. I don’t want to hurt you,” the wraith confessed.

“I’m already into you. That won’t change. You’ll hurt me in the end regardless now, won’t you?”

“You’re my favourite person and I-” Omen was abruptly cut off.

“I know. I know all about the disorder, about what that means. Give me a chance, Omen. If you don’t want to, at least you tried.”

“Can I think on it?”

“Take the time you need, Omen. I’ll still be here.”

Omen laid back on the bed, sighing softly.

“It’s late. Spend the night here, Omen,’ Cypher traced his fingers up the wraith’s arm slowly.

Omen pulled Cypher down next to him as his only response, resting his head against the spy’s chest.


End file.
